Narumiko, Kogitsune no Yoko
by TsumoriIchi
Summary: After running from a couple of villagers and ending up in the hospital, Narumiko (fem!Naruto) and Yuu (Kyuubi's released soul) try to show the world the real Narumiko; not the 'Demon'. Along the way, they hope to find new friends to share their adventures with. (first published fanfic and summary)
1. Prologue

**Konnichiwa, minna-san!** This is my first ever posted fic and I do so hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. I welcome any and all thoughts on the story and my writing. I love positive reviews but critiques are just as good if not better since they improve my writing. As much as flamers are disliked, they are entitled to their opinions and I do respect that; just know that I expect the same courtesy with your flames, there is no reason to send a review ENTIRELY IN CAPS just to express your dislike of something.

This is a Fem!Naru fanfic, pairings are currently undecided but a poll is set up in my profile if you, the lovely readers, wish to participate in deciding! Fem!Naru shall also be strong!Naru and smart!Naru, as well as Kyuubi being partially free. This is rated T but it has the possibility of being higher... Maybe.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rights to Naruto, if I did I'd have a decent harem by now...

Now then! onward with the story!

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**Prologue**

The setting sun peeked down through the meshing branches and leaves of the towering trees, dappling the ground in a patchwork of natural beauty. A soft sniffling could be heard coming from the bushes surrounding a clearing near the outer walls of Konahagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sniffling stopped suddenly when a loud cry of anger and hatred sounded out through the morning air, shattering the peace and successfully scaring the young child that was currently hiding.

"Let's be quick about this, man. I don't wanna get caught by those damn lapdogs that are always following the demon bitch around," a man's voice reached the child's hiding place, causing the young blonde's body to freeze in fear so potent she nearly forgot to breath. When she started to breathe again, she nearly gave away her position in the foliage due to a sharp intake of breath the moment one of the civilian villager's feet came into her direct line of sight from her body's flattened posture. "Damn. I think we lost her, let's just head back; I doubt the distraction in the market is enough to occupy the ANBU for very long."

Receiving a grunt of approval from his companion, the two men walked away. It was still a few moments more when the blonde finally decided she could breathe easy. Her relief, however, was short lived as a pair of strong hands grabbed her ankles and yanked her, rather roughly, from her hiding place. Her sharp scream of fear and surprise was cut short by a large fist smashing into the side of her face from a quick backhand. Once she recovered enough from the blow she looked up at her captors, soon to be torturers, with tears streaking down her cheeks creating slightly muddy tracks on her dirty face.

She refused to let out even a small whimper; she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. She may have been the village pariah, and only a child, but she still had her pride. Unfortunately, because of her stubbornness to not yield or beg forgiveness, the men took it upon themselves to personally see to it that the demon child not only broke, but shattered. They wanted to see her body broken, her spirit splintered and her will demolished before they left.

And they succeeded. They left after about fifteen or twenty minutes; the young girl's body truly broken and battered by the time they left the clearing and headed back to the village. Once she was sure they were gone, she let the tears fall silently from her cerulean blue eyes. Once her tears had subsided a bit, she began calling out; crying, no begging, for anyone to help her.

Luckily her hiding spot, and the clearing it was next to, was close to the road. She didn't have to call out for long; the guards at the gate had heard her and came to her rescue. Once she was sure the guards were taking her to the hospital she fell unconscious. Her last thoughts being, _'Why? Why do they hate me? Why on my birthday? What did I do that I don't remember? Can't I just be normal? Just once, just for a little bit…'_

With the chunin heading towards the hospital, she fell into the blessedly empty darkness of her subconscious. Looking down at the five year old blonde, the ninja sped up to get her to the hospital as fast as possible; knowing how attached the Sandaime Hokage was to the young bijuu container. Reaching the E.R., the chunin handed her to the doctors and ran off to inform the Hokage of his favorite orphan's ordeal.

/~0~\\

Dashing into the hospital, the Sandaime practically exuded uncontrollable anger and worry. Demanding the room number of his favorite blonde orphan, he nearly bowled over anyone that dared to stand in his way. Once outside of the Jinchuriki's room, the elderly man paused to collect his thoughts and catch his breath. He opened the door slowly, taking care to not wake the young girl. Once inside he took a few moments to check over the child. Assured of her stable condition, the elderly man took a seat in a chair in the corner. He relaxed even further into the chair when he felt the comfortable presence of his personal ANBU.

"Oh, Narumiko, you gave me one hell of a scare. I'm getting too old for this..."

Feeling better knowing that the young girl he considered a granddaughter was safe, the Sandaime Hokage drifted into a fitful sleep; fully prepared to wake up at a moment's notice should she need anything.

/~0~\\

Waking up slowly, the young blonde realized she was quite comfortable and had no pain anywhere on her body. _'How odd,' she_ thought, _'I swear I just got the worst beating so far! So where did all my pain go? And where am I? A sewer!?'_

Sure enough, as she looked around, she realized she was in some kind of red colored sewer tunnel that had intricate wires that seemed unattached and useless. Deciding anywhere was better than just lying in the middle of the tunnel floor she got up and walked in a random direction looking for clues as to where she was.

Wandering down the high vaulted tunnels, she felt a warm and comforting tug in her stomach accompanied by soft, unintelligible whispers in the back of her mind. Going in the direction that caused the sensations to grow stronger, she eventually entered an enormous, cavernous room; looking carefully through the dim lighting, she noticed a set of prison bars that blocked off a large portion of the huge hall. She craned her neck just to glimpse the tops of the thick bars embedded deep into the ceiling. As she peered at the walls and floor the bars were the same; thick, tightly spaced and unlikely to relinquish their hold on whatever was contained within them.

"Hello," she called out timidly, "is anyone in here?"

A deep rumbling, yet soothing, chuckle echoed throughout the cavern-like room. A growling voice, that seemed to consist of many speaking in harmony, answered her timidity with overwhelming confidence. **"It is about time you found your way here, Ningen, though you did enter sooner than this one expected."** A shuffling noise, accompanied by ripples in the few inches of water around her ankles and the quaking ground, alerted her to the captive's movements. **"So, Kogitsune, what ails your mind so much that you would thrust yourself so deeply into your mind? Although this one has a fairly good idea, this one wishes to hear so from you," **the masculine voice growled kindly.

_'Kogitsune… Little fox?'_ "I got hurt again and this time I didn't want to see Jiji-san upset again. Wait… I'm in my mind? But," she hesitated, "it's gloomy and sad in here. How can you stand it?" This time her words were met with laughing that sounded like the powerful crashing of thunder during a summer storm. It made her feel calm even though her body seemed intent on trying its hardest to make her uneasy; if her twisting stomach and nausea were anything to go by.

**"My, my. You are quite interesting for a Ningen. Of all the things to ask, you ask how this one fairs in this prison that so forcefully restrains this one's power… Why do you worry for this one's comfort? You should be cowering in fear, quaking as you realize your mortality does naught for you. And yet you worry about this one's lack of luxury. This one is the cruel Kyuubi no Kitsune no Yoko! The one who destroyed your home and devoured many loved ones! Have you naught to say about this one's identity and history?"**

She paused a moment before replying as truthfully as she could, "I don't care about that. You seem so sad and lonely, plus you sound so kind and sorry for what you did. And that's just it; 'history is history and part of the past, so look to the now to plan a future'. Besides if you're in my mind, you must have been here a very long time. You haven't done anything to hurt me; I mean, I want a friend and you seem to need one. So… Will you be my friend?"

The fox deity seemed startled by her words. He let out a great burst of air as he sighed, **"Very well then, Kogitsune, if that is what you wish. However, this one has a few requests. This one wishes for this one's soul to be released into the physical realm of the Ningen, to be by this one's friend's side." **He gave a toothy fox grin.** "This one must be allowed to become the equivalent of your nin-ken if you decide to become a ninja. And, lastly, this one requests that, whether or not the others are granted and given, you call to this one as Yuu; just as this one's family did, long ago."**

The young girl only smiled and agreed, "How do I get you out of there, Yuu?"

The fox lord looked determinedly at the doors to his prison and said simply, **"The seal. You must tear at least half of it off if this one's soul is to be freed. Can you do it?"**

"I can give it my all."

"**Will you?"**

"Of course, Yuu."

"**Then let us begin! This one swears his undying loyalty to you alone from now on, even if you cannot release this one's soul. Now then, Kogitsune, do your best!"**

"Right!"

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Sorry, minna-san, I couldn't resist the cliffy! No worries for those of you that want to know what happens next; I shall be using the occasional flashback/memory to fill in the gaps. I'll be starting the story at team placements in the next chapter. Until next time, please review and leave your thoughts.

Ja ne, minna-san!


	2. The Hokage's News

Konnichiwa, minna-san, I'm back! Hope you didn't wait long. So! Here's the first official chapter, please enjoy.

It came to my attention after I posted the Prologue that I didn't include a format guide or vocabulary. So the guide will be up top from here on out and the vocab will be in author's notes within the story. I will only do it once per chapter, until about the fourth chapter; then I'll only do it if it's a new word altogether. I'll also include the prologue's vocab in this chapter; thanks for being understanding.

I would also like to thank those that followed this story and the reviewer that figured out what I was doing with Yuu's formal speech as well as his habit of referring to himself as "this one". Cyber cookies to you guys!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Naruto, except for Yuu's fox & ningen forms! So many things I could do with the actual series (or at least the men)...

"Regular speech"

**"Yuu's speech"**

_'Regular thoughts'_

_**'Yuu's thoughts'**_

Naru's mental link

**Yuu's mental link**

_**-Flashbacks/End Flashbacks-**_

(Author's note)

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**Chapter One**

Under the shade of the overhanging trees, the bushes rustled and shook. A young, blood-red fox kit skittered from the underbrush. Pausing to sniff the air, he looked around the clearing; shimmering emerald and gold eyes scanning carefully. Seeing no danger, he scampered to the roots of a large tree where a young strawberry-blonde girl was dozing peacefully. Why she still chose to return to this place was a continuous mystery to the fox. The small kit sat at her feet, listening to her steady breathing.

In, out. In, out. In, out.

Deciding she was rested enough, he weaseled his way around her body; stopping near her ear. He mewled softly and nuzzled her cheek; easing her awake so as not to startle her. Sighing sleepily, she cracked her eyes open, blinking them rapidly to get rid of the remaining blurriness. With her vision cleared she focused her cat-like gaze on the small, bloody red fox at her side. Her fox-slit, blue-green, jewel-like eyes took in his sleek red body, black socks and ear tips, sleek and silky black tipped tail, emerald and gold-flecked eyes, fanged fox grin and his aura of complete trust, loyalty, affection and calm protectiveness.

"Yuu, you always wake me up so sweetly," Narumiko crooned softly, scratching the red demon mark on his forehead and running her fingertips across the matching red whisker marks on either side of his face. Narumiko sighed softly when he just tilted his head and gave her that toothy grin of his, ears twitching from the soft burst of air that brushed the top of them from his Naru's sigh. Narumiko sat up and pulled her loose strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder to comb her fingers through it; once smooth she braided it loosely and tucked it up into a sky-blue skullcap and tied it closed with a thick white, silk ribbon. She stood, straightened her black hakama pants, pulled down her pale-blue qipao (traditional Chinese dress) styled top, grabbed her grey and black cloak and fastened it shut at her collarbone with a ruby-red kitsune broach. Satisfied that she was ready, she flipped the hood up to shade over her eyes and grabbed the basket of fresh flowers and wild fruits.

"All right, Yuu. Let's get a move on!" Yuu yipped happily in return and jumped to his feet. Laughing as Yuu began to hop around the rocks and dash over and under tree roots, Narumiko let Yuu lead the way home until the village's high walls came into view. Veering sharply to the right, the pair avoided the main gate and walked along the wall for about a half mile until they came upon a section of wall that was covered in thick ivy vines. Checking around themselves carefully, so that no one would discover their secret path, they slipped in between the wall and the vines. Locating the swirl symbol hidden in the vines shadow, Narumiko pushed her oni (demon) chakra into her right hand causing a matching symbol to appear in her palm; she placed the palm symbol onto the wall symbol.

At first nothing happened, and then the simple black swirl flashed a brilliant ruby red and spread out into a continuously flowing intricate pattern. The expanded symbol appeared to take the form of a nine-tailed fox that seemed to be posing; sitting with its head held high and its tails splayed out above and behind it. The fox went from a glowing red to a flat black.

"Kogitsune (little/small fox)."

Once Narumiko gave the password the fox symbol faded into the wall causing the wall to disappear, with the ninjutsu (use of energy for physical attacks/summons) seal deactivated the pair walked into the dark passageway that led to the backstreets of a lesser inhabited area of Konoha. Once inside the wall immediately materialized back into place again; the whole process was perfected to a point that it only took about one minute to enter the passage. Another advantage to it being a perfected seal was that the seal only needed to be deactivated from outside of the wall; the inside wall was merely a well-developed genjutsu (illusions) that was active 24/7.

The pair walked calmly through the nearly pitch-black passage; neither needed to worry over not being able to see, though, Yuu was a demon and Narumiko was blessed with multiple demonic attributes._ 'Well,_' Narumiko mused, _'Yuu is an oni __soul__… I suppose it works the same.'_

_**-Flashback-**_

"_So… Will you be my friend?"_

_The fox deity seemed startled by her words. He let out a great burst of air as he sighed, __**"Very well then, Kogitsune, if that is what you wish. However, this one has a few requests. This one wishes for this one's soul to be released into the physical realm of the Ningen (human), to be by this one's friend's side." **__He gave a toothy fox grin.__** "This one must be allowed to become the equivalent of your nin-ken (ninja dog) if you decide to become a ninja. And, lastly, this one requests that, whether or not the others are granted and given, you call to this one as Yuu; just as this one's family did, long ago."**_

_The young girl only smiled and agreed, "How do I get you out of there, Yuu?"_

_The fox lord looked determinedly at the doors to his prison and said simply, __**"The seal. You must tear at least half of it off if this one's soul is to be freed. Can you do it?"**_

_"I can give it my all."_

_"__**Will you?"**_

_"Of course, Yuu."_

_"__**Then let us begin! This one swears his undying loyalty to you alone from now on, even if you cannot release this one's soul. Now then, Kogitsune, do your best!"**_

_"Right!"_

_And with that, the young girl stepped up to the cage and sat on one of the tails the giant fox had slid through the cage bars. Once he was certain she wouldn't fall from her perch, he lifted his tail high into the air, hovering the silky appendage just in front of the seal; the taiyoukai relished the fact that he was the cause of her squeals of laughter as her golden-blonde hair swirled around her quickly rising figure._

"_**All right then, Kogitsune, give it your all so that this one may be with you."**_

_Narumiko reached out to grasp the top left corner of the paper and, with a determined look within her cerulean eyes, pulled as hard as she could; successfully removing a little over three quarters of the seal from its resting place. A bright golden light flashed and Narumiko suddenly felt herself enter a free-fall. She let out a startled yelp as her frail body began heading towards the ground at an alarming rate. As suddenly as the light had appeared, it disappeared again and Narumiko felt a pair of strong, nearly possessive, arms wrap themselves around her small frame._

"_**All is well, Kogitsune. This one has you, fear not, I won't let you go. This one shall allow no more harm to be done to you,"**__ a deep, increasingly familiar voice whispered into her ear. Narumiko was placed back onto her feet and turned to see what had caught her. The only things she was sure of was that it was Yuu, Yuu was male and that he looked dignified and important. "Yuu?"_

"_**Yes, **__**Kogitsune, **__**this **__**one **__**is **__**truly **__**one **__**and **__**the **__**same. **__**This **__**form **__**is **__**this **__**one's **__**ningen **__**form. **__**What **__**do **__**you **__**think?"**_

_Narumiko looked Yuu up and down. He wore a black sleeve-less fishnet shirt that was held around his neck by black choker, a pair of deep, forest-green ninja pants that were cut off just above his knees due to silver knee guards that went on to attach to black shin guards that stopped just above his ankles. He had a pair of black Chinese slippers with ruby-red embroidered patterns on as well as black arm warmers with dark green trim tied off with silver bands, nearly black-green fingerless gloves with silver protective plates on the back, silver armor plates across his left shoulder, upper arm, upper back and chest. Yuu also had a black robe with that same forest-green trim and a lighter grey-green fox emblem in the middle of his back. His eyes were a deep emerald green, gold-flecked color that almost seemed to emit a soft light on their own and his hair was a vibrant fire-red that, if it was down, would reach to his lower thigh, knee area; he currently had his hair in a loose braid that he had put into a seemingly loose bun with his bangs sweeping to the left side of his angular face, two locks that reached his navel were tied around silver hoop-like items at the bottom. His sharp facial structure was made even more exotic by the three matching, red whisker marks on either side of his face, slightly sharp and elongated canines, nearly elven shaped ears and a strange red mark on his forehead; the symbol looked like a swirl that's end went up once it reached the top of the second circle and a short vertical line beneath the spiral._

"_Yuu, what're your clothes supposed to be? They look like ninja or warrior clothes with a few samurai armor pieces…"_

_The Maō (demon lord) laughed heartily, __**"Something like that, Kogitsune. This one is a Demon Lord, thus this one must appear regal and fearsome to some degree. I meant would this one pass as a ningen in your village?" **__Narumiko looked thoughtful; scrunching her nose with her brow wrinkled and a slight pout. "Hmm, I don't think so, Yuu. I'm sorry."_

_Yuu gave the six year old his trademark toothy fox grin, __**"Tis alright, Kogitsune, this one just wanted to be able to take ningen form occasionally so that you are even less lonely. This one will merely be allowed only a kitsune form." **__Narumiko nodded, "I pulled off a lot of the seal, will everything be okay?" Yuu nodded so she continued, "can I do anything about how bad it is in here?"_

"_**All will be well; you shall merely go through a few changes; better now than later. Tis your mind, do with it what you will. You must go now, but fear not for this one will be able to speak with you now. Tis called the 'Mental Link'; just think what you wish for this one to hear and it shall be done. Kogitsune, fear not the changes that shall appear upon your body. Now rest, you need it; this one shall see you soon."**_

_Narumiko smiled one last time to her new friend; her first friend, Jiji-san (Grandpa and an honorific used to show mild respect) and Kaka-nii (honorific used for a brother) don't count. And, thinking how happy she was to have a friend, she fell into a soothing darkness that made her feel all warm and fuzzy. All she had to do next was tell Jiji-san what happened, but that could wait for the morning._

_**-End Flashback-**_

Narumiko came out of her memories as they reached the end of the tunnel. The tunnel had been of continuous help over the years; it offered a quick escape from angry villagers as a child and a way around the gate guards so that she could train and get _decent_ food; far better than the moldy and rotten food the grocers and vendors gave her. The pair paused at the lip of the passage; Yuu poked his head through the vine's cover. She felt a tug at the mental link and responded by opening the link further, Yes, Yuu?

**There is a ningen walking, just a moment more. Wait for this one's queue.**

Of course.

Narumiko waited patiently for the signal. After about a minute of waiting, Yuu flicked the black tip of his tail across Narumiko's ankle; _'Coast is clear.'_

Move out, Yuu.

**Yes!**

Without hesitating or pausing, they slipped out from the passage, crossed the back street and ducked behind some crates in the alley. Narumiko glanced over her shoulder and double-checked to be sure the veil of vines had fallen and settled back into place over her genjutsu. Assured of the passageway's security, she ushered Yuu into her hand basket. Once Yuu was settled and comfortable, Narumiko held the basket close to her stomach and flipped the cloak over it to insure Yuu was hidden and protected; there was no reason for Yuu to get rocks thrown at him again. _'Stupid ningen...'_

Pulling her hood down lower over her eyes, Narumiko slipped from the alley onto the main street and worked her way through the market; twisting and twirling this way and that, avoiding being bumped, pushed and jostled about by the mid-morning crowds. By skillfully avoiding the herd-like people, she managed to slide her way onto a less crowded side street and took off running towards the far side of the village; she didn't stop until she reached the giant metal fence that separated the Forest of Death from the surrounding areas.

She walked up to the main gate and entered though a little doorway. Once she was about a mile into the tree line she stopped and let Yuu out of her basket; dropping her hood as she did so. Alright, Yuu, I'm going to transfer some chakra for the change.

**This one understands. Let's go, Kogitsune.**

Narumiko pushed a large portion of her demon chakra to the seal on her stomach; if she were to look at her stomach when she did this, she would see how the permanent black tattoo-like mark turned red. Yuu's little seven inch tall form burst into a blinding red light that disappeared to reveal a ten foot tall fox. The only real difference, aside from size, is the red tint that appeared in his eyes due to the large chakra influx. Yuu knelt beside Narumiko and used his tail to help slide her petite body onto his back, just behind his shoulder blades. She leaned over and nearly flattened herself to Yuu's neck; she buried her hands deep into the scruff fur and held on tight. Once he was sure Narumiko was ready, he rose and trotted a few steps before lurching forward and jumping high into the canopy; once he settled into his stride he bolted from branch to branch intent on getting his Naru home quickly and safely.

In this fashion the pair headed deep into the Forest of Death, always towards the tall tower in the center; their home of four years. Once Yuu reached the outskirts of the tower's surrounding clearing, he made the leap from the tree canopy to the ground just before the main double-door entrance; landing lightly on his soft paw pads so that he wouldn't jostle his Naru to much. Once his body had completely stopped swaying from the sudden loss of momentum, he knelt and once again used his tail to assist the twelve year old down from his back.

Narumiko got herself orientated quickly and released the chakra from her seal allowing Yuu to revert to his smaller form again. A bit farther, Yuu, and you can adopt your ningen form again. The chibi (little) Maō yipped happily at the thought of being able to spend time properly accompanying his Naru, his adopted Imōto (little sister).

Together they entered the main door. Once through, the power seal on Yuu was immediately dropped and his body flashed a bright gold; this time revealing an exotic looking young man that appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen dressed in deep-green hakamas (loose-fitting pants often used in dojos) and a black sleeve-less qipao top embroidered with red thread and gold silk-string ties. His long hair upswept into a stylized-messy bun pinned with gold senbon (needle weapons often used in acupuncture) adorned with ruby fox charms and silver bells. His Chinese slippers making no sound on the stone floor while his bells and silver hoop ornaments made soft tings and jingles when they touched as his hair locks swung about gently. He raised his slender hand and swiped his bangs to the left then proceeded to inspect his long, slightly sharpened nails for dirt; satisfied that they were nothing less than perfect he looked to his cute container and gave her a nod to signal he was prepared to head towards their living area.

"I swear, Yuu. Sometimes it seems like you should've been a woman." Yuu gave a short chuckle,** "Never, hime** (often an honorific; refers to a lady, or a high-born female; occasionally used to mean princess)**, this one is merely a being of great beauty. That is all."**

"You can deny it all you want but face it; you're even more girly than me."

Yuu gave a feminine snort at her comment of being girly. "See!? That right there! Girly. I was right," Narumiko smiled smugly as Yuu looked slightly peeved that she was, indeed, correct in her observations. **"That is of no consequence. This one smells a ningen; your Hokage has graciously decided to pay us a visit. Let us not keep him waiting."**

Then let's get a move on, can't keep Jiji-sama (honorific for giving high respect) waiting forever. Smiling fondly at the girl, as she led the way up to the third floor to unlock the specialized seals that separated their home from the rest of the tower, he used his reiki (aura or energy) to create a comfortable grey and silver yukata (men's outer robe) to go over his clothing as he was fully prepared to begin relaxing on the softest cushions they had in the fourth floor living room. They went up three flights of stairs and stopped in front of a wall.

Turning to the wall, Narumiko pushed a combination of her oni and ningen chakra into her right hand; resulting in soft purple glow. A flash of vibrant violet and the wall turned into a set of ornately carved bamboo wood doors; the carving a beautiful motif of each of the nine bijuu in their true oni forms with the kanji for each of their elements. She pushed one of the doors open, momentarily breaking the sound-proof ninjutsu when the seal on the back of the doors was broken in half. Shutting the door firmly, they walked upstairs; passing the third floor training grounds.

On the fourth floor, sitting casually on their largest couch, was the Hokage; he sat with his hat beside him while he made impressively large smoke rings from his tobacco pipe. "Ohayō gozaimasu (good morning), Jiji-sama. What can we do for you?" The Third looked over to the doorway they had just came through and smiled in his kind, grandfatherly way, "Welcome home, dear. Nothing much I promise, Naru-chan (honorific of familiarity towards young girls), I just wanted to pay my favorite blonde a visit. How have you been lately, has your training gone well?"

Narumiko giggled at his nickname for her, "Jiji-sama, you know I haven't been a true blonde for nearly six years. I've finished everything you had assigned as well as what Yuu gave me. Your Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (shadow clone) technique will come in really handy since I can't get my chakra levels low enough for a simple Bunshin (clones). My Akuma no mahō (demon magic) is already at a mastery level thanks to Yuu." The old man looked sad at the mention of her near-death beating, six years ago, at the hands of two civilians that had gotten past her ANBU guards. He recovered quickly, resuming his usual smile, "Of course, and how gorgeous your long strawberry-blonde locks are; even prettier than your blonde bob. Now, there is another reason I came to visit."

Narumiko sighed as she walked around the island counter to set her basket beside the kitchen sink. I figured there was another reason he would visit at this time in the morning, it's almost ten. As much as I know he hates paperwork, he wouldn't leave without something important to discuss. She sighed again, this time because Yuu only chuckled at her. "Well then, Jiji-sama, what is it that's so important you'd skip out on paperwork?"

Yuu chuckled even more when they heard the Hokage mumble something about "the bane of his existence" and how it "just grows bigger whenever he blinked". As Narumiko put the flowers into vases with water and the fruits into a strainer to wash, Yuu took his time propping himself into the most comfortable position he could on a large pile of fluffy cushions and pillows against the center of the curved south wall, beside a big bay window. The view from the window being the great expanse of forest that made up the rear of Training Ground 44; it was nearly all forest until it hit the mountains, a solitary lake being the only other thing in the landscape.

Turning on the faucet, Narumiko let the water run over the fruit a bit before she started to was them. "Well," the Hokage began, "I've decided that you've been a recluse for far too long, Naru-chan. So I've taken the liberty of assigning you to a genin (beginning level ninja) team. You are to join the ranks by being placed with a squad."

He took in her suddenly tense posture. "You are strong, and more than prepared to join at a higher level than genin, but I feel like you need to become social again; and not with just me and Kakashi. And, no, Yuu doesn't count; you two are attached," he cut her off, seeing the look she gave as she opened her mouth. Narumiko snapped her mouth shut quickly. She took on a contemplative look as she arranged her fruit into a light blue bowl.

"Jiji-sama… What if they don't accept me? I mean, I would be joining them after they've gone through four years of academy." She took the fruit bowl and a vase of Convolvulus and Clematis and placed them together on the red wood coffee table. The blue and yellow-white of the Convolvulus and the pale pink, of the Clematis, blended together nicely in the small, spiral-shaped black and gold vase. **This one knows the Convolvulus is for humble perseverance but what meaning are you using for the Clematis?**

I'm using three of its meanings. Cleverness, intellectuality and ingenuity.

**Ah, this one understands now.**

The old man took a deep drag from his pipe as Narumiko tossed an apple to Yuu and took a few blueberries for herself. "You're probably right, Naru-chan, but don't let that get you down. Those are beautiful flowers by the way, dear. So! You must promise to me, and yourself, that you will still try your hardest no matter what happens; after all, you try so hard now, so just go a bit farther." He paused to see how she would react.

Narumiko thought it over while popping blueberries into her mouth. Looking over at Yuu, who was happily munching down to the apple core, she waited for his input; he only gave a half-shrug. Sighing once again, she gave up that line of thinking. "All right, I'll do it. Who's going to be on my squad?"

The Hokage grinned like the cat that ate the canary; he had thought she would've been more difficult to persuade. "Well your team-mates are a surprise but I can tell you that your jounin (a journeyman ninja, 3rd level up after graduating academy) sensei (teacher) is going to be Kakashi."

Yuu chuckled as his Naru's face lit up like a sky filled with fireworks. Yuu spoke with mirth evident in his voice, **"This one takes it that you are pleased with this, Kogitsune?" **Narumiko looked over at him with a 'no duh' face while the Sandaime laughed heartily. Pleased with her reactions, and acceptance, the Hokage rose to take his leave.

"Well then, you two, I'd best be going; no doubt that mountain of garbage called paperwork has tripled in my absence. I swear the council just makes things up to add to the damned pile," shaking his head, he grabbed his hat and turned to leave when Yuu's scoff and Narumiko's throat clearing stopped him. He turned to see what it was the girl wanted and saw her trying to hold back laughter; that in and of itself was a rare occurrence anymore, aside from with Yuu. She raised her hands to form a cross, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu hand sign, and said, quite happily, "You know… For you being the one to teach me this jutsu, and the Hokage, you sure don't understand the implications of what it can accomplish."

The Hokage was floored.

How could he not realize that he could've used shadow clones on his arch-nemesis- I mean paperwork- the entire time! And the fact that a twelve year old girl, that had just learned about the jutsu two weeks ago, had to be the one to tell him…

His ANBU were going to get hell when he got back.

Narumiko finally let a few giggles escape, "Judging by your face, I take it no one told you!" Snorting loudly, and femininely as Narumiko would've pointed out had she not been laughing, Yuu added his two-cents, **"It would seem that your loyal ANBU have been having a good laugh all these years, eh, Hokage-sama?"** With a slightly feral growl and a curt nod to the Jinchuuriki (human sacrifice and demon container) and Bijuu (Giant, tailed demon that protects a certain area of land), the Hokage turned with a flourish and told them good-bye; although their advanced hearing caught his grumbles about 'reducing pay' and 'revenge D-rank missions'. His robes billowing out behind him as he left through the high-arched entryway, they heard him stomp down the stairs and distantly caught the sound of the main door slamming shut.

Looking at each other as they both imagined the horrors, and babysitting jobs that awaited the Hokage's ANBU, Narumiko asked in mock fear, "Y-y-you don't t-th-think he'll m-make them do t-the… Tora Cat Mission, d-do you?" Yuu answered with a matching look of horror across his face, **"No! Do not even speak of that mission! Tis a curse upon the house."**

A pause and then they both broke out laughing. Taking off her cloak and black flats, forgotten at in the presence of the Hokage, she turned to the Closet that was next to the entryway and put them away. Turning back to Yuu, she asked him, "So, do you think we can be ourselves around them? Or do we play the charade game?" Yuu contemplated his answer a few moments before shrugging, **"Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt and wait until our first major mission before truly revealing ourselves; even if we merely reveal a tiny portion of truth."** Narumiko nodded at his wisdom.

"Well, tomorrow is a new day. Come what may we'll give it our best as always." With the major choice decision made, she went up to the top floor to meditate in her botanical garden. Tomorrow would indeed be a new day, with new experiences.

* * *

Well, that's the first chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed it. The poll for who is paired with Naru is close but here they are as they stand now:

Haku: 3

Neji: 2

Shino:2

Rock Lee: 1

Gaara: 1

and 4 unique voters

Everyone that chose a different guy, I am very sorry but i cannot access your choices so if you would kindly take the time to either p.m. me or send a review with your choice I would greatly appreciate it. Well until next time. Ja ne, minna-san!


	3. Meeting and Reuniting

Hello, I'm back and not dead yet! Thanks to everyone who waited patiently for my update; it's been a bit crazy since I'm a graduating senior and all (next Thursday!). so please enjoy everyone and as always review or PM me of any mistakes you see! Moving on, away from my prattle...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, except for Yuu's fox & ningen forms! If only I did *dreamy sigh*

"Regular speech"

**"Yuu's speech"**

_'Regular thoughts'_

**_'Yuu's thoughts'_**

Naru's mental link

**Yuu's mental link**

* * *

Chapter Two

The soft sound of light breathing filled the large, circular room. A shuffling movement on the bed revealed a kitten-sized fox. Blinking slowly, and twitching his nose a bit, Yuu stood on wobbly paws and made his way over to the blanketed figure at the head of the bed. Giving a gentle nip to Narumiko's exposed nose, Yuu woke his mistress to begin their morning routine. Crouching low, Yuu gave a powerful leap and took on his human form in mid-air.

Landing easily in a relaxed crouch, he stood up, flicked his single braid back over his shoulder and walked to the wall. To call it a wall, however, was incorrect. It was, in actuality, a full window that wrapped all the way around the room. Yuu pulled a silky cord and the curtains parted and slid open along the eastern 'wall', letting the minuscule rays of sun filter into the dark room. The eastern skies still nearly completely grey with only light pink tendrils signally the coming of daybreak. Turning swiftly, Yuu caught the dainty black slipper Naru had silently thrown.

"Must we wake up so freakin' early in the morning, Yuu?" She slid from the cushy bed and, stifling a feminine yawn, gently rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a single curled fist. Chuckling softly he replied,** "Because you chose to train until you could protect this damnable village you love so much. This one would happily allow you your rest; however, you wish to be able to protect the village on your own. Thus this one must wake you early to ensure proper training in all compatible fields."**

Pausing on her way towards her closet, Narumiko turned and stuck her tongue out before giggling and agreeing whole-heartedly with what her closest companion had said. Resuming her task of dressing for morning training, Narumiko entered her once small closet and chose a short-length black qipao and a pair of forest green spandex shorts. She quickly changed out of her loose shorts and tee-shirt into her training clothes.

"You know," Narumiko started as she came out of her closet, "We won't be training as long as usual, we'll have to come in from training early enough for me to be properly prepared to meet our new team." Yuu looked up from where he was leaning against the window-wall,** "Understood, shall we train within our forest then?"** Narumiko nodded her affirmative. And so began the morning of one of the most important days in Narumiko's life.

* * *

Walking through the side streets and alleys, Narumiko felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. She had trained until she had about a half-hour left before the team assignments; she had then took a shower, put her hair into a stylized half-bun, using poison senbon to hold it up in place, allowing the other half of her slightly wavy hair to flow down her back, down to mid-thigh- even taking the time to thread tiny silver bells through her hair so they stood out even more- and changed into a more personal outfit. She had made sure to hide her whisker marks with a simpler version of the seal on Yuu's forehead. Hers was in the same spot, yet, instead of the top vertical line being above a second ring, her top vertical line was above the first ring; so it was smaller. As she and Yuu had left their living area, Narumiko had put on her favorite pair of silver flats; they were embroidered with little red butterflies along the toes. The Hokage had given them to her when he had learned she liked the delicate bugs; not that she'd ever tell him why she liked the fragile insects.

Narumiko paused at the mouth of the alley she had been travelling in for the last five minutes. We're here, Yuu. Remember, you are my fox guard. Yuu popped his head out of the hood of her grey and black cloak and yipped once to prove he could act the part of a simpler animal. '_Well, here goes nothing,'_ Narumiko thought while she fiddled with her fox broach as a way to soothe her nerves. She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and walked forward with only a miniscule amount of hesitation. She strode confidently through the halls until she came to the classroom door of one Umino, Iruka, academy teacher extraordinaire; well, he was as far as she was concerned since he had dealt with all those kids for so long. She took a deep breath and knocked as Yuu nuzzled her neck lovingly to offer his silent comforting support.

Once she heard the muffled 'come in', she slid the door open confidently and walked in as if she owned the floor. With how much attention she had at that moment she could've owned the room. Stopping just in front of Iruka's podium and, holding her arms in front of her chest to keep Yuu where he was, bowed respectfully and announced, "Uzumaki, Narumiko. Reporting for squad assignment at the request of the Hokage-sama. Pleased to meet you." Then she stood and met his eyes briefly, before lowering them to show submission to the one who held the authority.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, "Well now, I had heard he was sending someone over; although, in complete honesty, I wasn't expecting someone so polite… In any case! Welcome and who's that hiding in your cloak?"

Narumiko smiled softly, "This is Yuu; he's my Kitsunegādo, my fox guard. He's much like the Inuzuka's nin-ken. He's my protector and partner, please treat him kindly." Iruka-sensei looked slightly confused, he'd never heard of a fox as a ninja companion; then again, after the Kyuubi attack, foxes were almost completely unheard of within the village and surrounding forest anymore. "Very well, it's nice to meet you two. Please take a seat where ever you can find an empty one."

Narumiko quickly gathered her courage and turned to face the class. A quick scan over the rows of seats revealed that the only open seat was next to a boy wearing a large jacket that covered the lower half of his face and dark glasses to completely cover his eyes. She walked up the stairs at a brisk pace, received more than a few glares from the girls of the class, and nodded to the boy as she sat down quietly. He turned his head slightly in her direction and whispered, "Aburame, Shino."

Narumiko shot him a quick smile, "A pleasure, Shino-kun, I hope we can become good companions. Perhaps friends- in time." He inclined his head slightly and returned his attention to Iruka-sensei. She settled into a relaxed, at-attention slouching position in the wooden chair. **Well now, you already know someone in class who is not stuck up… This one approves of his company.**

So glad I have your acceptance, Yuu.

**Does this one detect a hint of sarcasm?**

Not at all. You detect a crap-load of it.

Yuu huffed lightly into the collar of her cloak. Neither of them paid much attention as Iruka-sensei went through his graduation speech. Narumiko ended up napping until she felt Yuu tug at the link and opened it further to allow him access to her mind. **He is beginning to name the teams, Joō****, you should listen now.** She yawned discretely, although she swore she heard a soft snicker from Shino's direction, and stretched slightly. Right, gotcha. Hey, did Jiji-sama tell us the squad number?

Yuu paused, thinking back to the conversation yesterday morning. **No, he did not, so be sure to catch our team. That horrid old man did not even give us the courtesy of knowing what gaki**** we are to be stuck with. **So, following Yuu's advice, Narumiko listened through all the teams. There are quite a few civilian teams… Six to be exact, I wonder why so many. They probably won't pass and if they do, I doubt they'd last three days.

"Team seven. Sensei Hatake, Kakashi," the moment Iruka-sensei said Kakashi's name, he had the entirety of Narumiko's attention, "members Haruno, Sakura; Uchiha, Sasuke-"

"WOOT! TAKE THAT INO-PIG, SASUKE-KUN'S ON MY TEAM!"

"-Ahem- Sakura, I understand you're excited but please refrain from interrupting," Iruka-sensei said calmly, a tick appearing above his right eye.

"Sorry, sensei."

Great, an emo guy and one of his biggest fan girls. I hate fan girls… That's why Jiji-sama wouldn't tell me who was on my team; stupid Jiji-baka! Yuu's rumbling laugh echoed through the back of her mind.

"And lastly, Uzumaki, Narumiko and, by extension, her animal companion, Yuu." Sakura looked up at her with a cold glare, not that it did much; she'd dealt with worse. Iruka-sensei hurried to finish naming the squads before a fight could break out. After finishing the roster, Iruka-sensei dismissed them for lunch and urged them to eat with their new team-mates to establish bonds. One glance at her new comrades and she decided she was better off eating on her own. Shino noticed her glance and read the meaning behind the look.

"Uzumaki-san, you can eat with my team and me if you truly do not wish to be with yours," he whispered near her ear so that others wouldn't overhear. Narumiko looked up at him and gave him a foxy grin, "Only if you call me something other than 'Uzumaki-san"; you make me sound old, Shino-kun." She heard a soft humming coming from him and assumed she had amused him quite a bit if his hives reacted. Shino dipped his head as he replied, "How does Naru-san sound?"

Narumiko visibly perked up. "Not only using my first name, but a nickname? That makes me happy, Shino-kun; no one's given me a nickname before; aside from Jiji-sama and kaka-nii. Thank you, I'd like to join your team for lunch." She stood and walked out with him to enjoy her first meal in the company of people other than Yuu.

* * *

After sharing her home-made bento full of onigiri and pork dumplings with Shino's team, she returned with them and sat talking in low tones until their sensei came to pick them up. She had wished them all good luck and said fond farewells that had been followed by promises to hang out again.

That had been over two hours ago.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she loved her nii-san, reminiscing about a good lunch only distracted her for so long. She had already burned through four distractions, including thinking about lunch. She had played three games of mental shōgi with Yuu, played mahjong for about a half-hour, and played 'name that batorusutansu' with the human Yuu in her mindscape. It was only a matter of time until she retaliated; and so help her, when she did…

'_Kaka-nii is so gunna get it… No mercy, no remorse! Take no prisoners; this is a declaration of war!'__  
_

Time's up. The 'Itazura Megami' had been released from her cage of restraint formerly known as self-control. Needless to say, Kakashi should be very intimidated. Narumiko looked down at Yuu, who was sitting in her lap, and nodded. Yuu, noticing the glint in her eyes, set off in search of something simplistic to use as prank material. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of waiting. I say we retaliate against our dear sensei… Care to join? It could be our team bonding time," Narumiko stood and walked to the front of the room as she addressed her team-mates.

Sasuke snorted and looked away while Sakura took the time to complain about how childish she was being; as if her actions weren't more childish than Narumiko's. "Don't worry, Sakura, I won't do anything deadly or dangerous," Narumiko said with a huff. Then she noticed Yuu walking back with a very dusty chalkboard eraser. "Just some old school practical joking with an Uzumaki twist."

She grabbed the chair, a box of thumbtacks, and some clear tape from Iruka-sensei's desk, and some ninja wire, kunai and some makibishi spikes from her leg pouch. She taped the thumbtacks to the handle and side of the sliding door, used the chair to give her the height she needed to wedge the eraser between the door and the frame, and tied a few strands of wire to the corner of the door frame. Before she got down she tied the kunai to the wires and set them at an angle that would force them to fall once the door was opened. Reaching into her pouch she grabbed a fine mesh bag, filled it with a decent amount of spikes and set it to where one of the kunai would slice it open, causing the spikes to fall. She got down and returned the chair to the desk.

"Hey, Yuu, did I bring a camera?"

Yuu shook his head side to side. "Too bad. At least I remember paint bags and my slingshot… I wonder if I still have those sparkle packets," the looks she got after she said sparkles were nearly priceless. Narumiko glanced up at the clock. _"Going by Kashi-time I have about five minutes to find those sparkles and hunker down for target practice."_ She dug through both leg pouches and found two packets filled with violet sparkles.

"HAHAHA, I hope he likes purple! These will go great with that gaudy green paint… He'll look like Gai with glitter- EWW! I can't believe I just thought of that!"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at her like she was crazy; which, in all honesty, she could have been by now. Narumiko tipped the podium onto its side and crouched low behind it, slingshot at the ready. A glance at the clock. _"Two minutes,"_ she gulped a bit and took a deep breathe, _"I should put my hood up… Just in case."_

As she slid her hood into place, Yuu gave a warning growl to signal Kakashi's approach. She put one paint bag into place and slid the other bags and packets into an easy access position for the best 'rapid-fire shot' result. Sasuke was attempting to look uninterested and failing slightly. Sakura waited with baited breath; she may have spoken out against it, but she was game for a good laugh. They all heard the footsteps then, the steps paused outside of the door. A sigh. Then the door slid open.

All Hell broke loose in the span of thirty seconds.

When it was over, neither Sasuke nor Sakura would have been able to tell you what, or how, it had happened. The silence that followed the surprise attack lasted all of about ten seconds. Sakura then screamed and started ranting about how it wasn't even her idea, that she had no part in the prank and didn't deserve to be covered in ugly green paint. Sasuke may not have said anything but his face told it all; he was livid and petrified that he was covered in slightly sticky, purple, shimmery sparkles and that people had seen him. Kakashi was covered in chalk dust and standing on his tip-toes to avoid stepping on the spikes that now littered the ground. As for Narumiko, well she was pinned to the far wall with the kunai she had attached to wires; wires and all. Narumiko was laughing so hard she thought she was going to hurt herself and Yuu was growling in distress and attempting to get his mistress off the wall by biting and tugging on the ninja wire as hard as his current body would allow.

Kakashi looked at each of them and said, "Well my first impression of you all?" He waited until he had all their attention. "I hate you all. Meet me on the roof," and, with that said, he poofed away in a cloud of smoke and chalk dust. Sasuke and Sakura turned slowly to glare at their wall ornament of a team-mate. "What," she huffed indignantly, "you know you wanted to see what would happen. A little help down?"

They just shook their heads and walked away.

She waited until she was sure they were far down the hallway to give Yuu more chakra so that he could transform into a human. She had only given him a minor amount to affect the seal on his forehead, causing him to take on a child's form as opposed to his usual adult form. Yuu sighed as he stood up, standing at about three feet with short, shoulder-length hair that was half pinned back with silver vine clips. The usual twin silver weights, that adorned the strips of hair that framed his face, were replaced by silver and black beads. **"Well, now, that was a rather violent response, yes? This one honestly did not expect it, this one should have been more careful; you could have been hurt."**

Narumiko gave him a foxy grin, "Yeah, but I wasn't. Now help your mistress out, please?" Yuu chuckled but proceeded to remove the kunai from her clothing. "I'm a little surprised that he did that. It hasn't been that long since we saw him, has it," Narumiko asked, slightly perplexed that her brother figure had essentially attacked her.

"**It has been quite a while, besides you look very different now. You have longer hair, tis more red; you conceal your whisker marks yet proudly bear a seal similar to this one's own glamour seal. Besides that, you have gotten taller, more mature and you carry yourself with pride and dignity; you no longer cower or hunch to seem smaller. You have become a predator as opposed to the prey you once were."**

Narumiko sighed as Yuu removed the last kunai, causing her to fall towards the floor. She landed gracefully on her feet with her knees bent. She stood and blew her bangs away from her eyes slightly, "Still, it kinda hurts. Just a bit. Revert and let's get a move on, Yuu." Yuu nodded and returned to his kit form. He jumped onto Narumiko's shoulder and she shunshined to the roof's shadows. She concealed her chakra and took a seat on the railing to the left of the door only moments before her team-mates arrived; Sakura practically begging Sasuke for a date under the pretense of team bonding.

They took a seat on the steps in front of Kakashi-sensei. He looked up at them and asked, "Where's the other one?" Sasuke 'hn-ed' and looked away while Sakura huffed something under her breath about it being Narumiko's fault she was covered in paint. Kakashi sighed, "So you left her there. You realize that, even though she's a prankster, she is still a part of this team."

Sakura huffed haughtily, "Yeah, but no one even knows who she is. She could be a spy or some girl who thinks that she'll just get whatever she wants-"

"She was assigned by the Hokage's orders," Kakashi cut her off smoothly, "apparently; she's been training under the Hokage's guidance. He gives her something to train at and she does it."

Narumiko felt that they had spoken about her long enough. "That's right, the Hokage gave me orders and I followed them without hesitation or complaint. Like a good little kunoichi should, like the perfect tool; a pet that obeys her master's orders. The perfect toy soldier for a military village to play with. Tch! How cruel, don't you think?" They all turned to quickly spot her sitting casually on the railing of the roof; easily three stories up. The soft breeze played with the bottom of her cloak, causing it to flutter around her ankles. She hopped down from her perch and strode calmly, confidently towards her new team.

"And how long have you been sitting there," Kakashi asked, mild disbelief clearly seen in his one visible eye. Sakura spluttered indignantly while Sasuke looked a bit peeved that she'd been there without them knowing it. With her hood pulled low over her face, you could only see from her nose down; thus, it was clearly visible when she gave a condescending smirk. Hey, Yuu? I think Kaka-nii needs a crash course on why it's a bad idea to not recognize his 'darling' little sister… How about we put on a little play, ne?

A soft chuffing noise brought all their attention to the miniscule fox perched on around her shoulders, tail wrapped lovingly around her neck to maintain its balance. Narumiko giggled softly, That's a 'yes'. Watch this. She took a deep breath and prepared for her act.

'_Show time.'_

She tipped her head back a bit and giggled playfully, "Ma, ma, whatever do you mean Kashi-kun? It isn't like you to let your guard down- perhaps you're becoming too old? No, that's not it; I mean you have plenty of energy and stamina for your age… Oops! I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?" She paused once Sakura let out a scandalized squeak; obviously the girl had caught, and bought, the innuendo. '_What about the Uchiha?'_ He merely looked at their new sensei with a glare full of accusations.

Kakashi's posture screamed dumbfounded.

"Ma, Kashi-kun, are you alright? I thought you would've recognized me, even after almost five years. I mean, we had been nearly inseparable from one another; do you remember yet," Narumiko was struggling to remain calm and straight-faced. Especially since Yuu's full demon voice was echoing throughout her mind; he was laughing with incredible strength. _'I wonder if the soul left inside me can actually hurt itself. He's laughing hard enough,'_ she thought offhandedly, _'I think it's time to end the charade before he ends up falsely accused and Court Marshaled- the Haruno girl looks like she'd do it, too."_

Narumiko sighed softly and slid the hood from her head; her loose, strawberry-blonde hair slipping down from her shoulders like a waterfall to her thighs, the silver bells tinkling softly, the poison-coated senbon sparkling with deadly beauty from the edges of her bun. "Yare, yare, Kaka-nii, did you really forget me over these past few years? I thought you were better than that; although I suppose it isn't fair that I've hidden away my whiskers, ne? I guess that wasn't very nice," Narumiko raised her head and peaked her vibrant blue-green, starburst patterned eyes shyly from behind her straight-cut bangs; her black, cat-like pupils dilating when the sunlight glinted in them.

Kakashi blinked once slowly. Then a second time. Once more, "Naru-chan, is that you? Imōto…" Sasuke and Sakura went from accusing to confused to incredulous; understandably. Narumiko smiled softly and Yuu chirped like a bird, "Hai, nii-san, it's still me."

Kakashi noticed the others' stares and decided to take mercy and elaborated, "Not blood related." If it could be called elaborated. Narumiko too her place a step higher than the other two, between and behind them. Kakashi sighed as he noticed Yuu eye the other two genin like they were chew toys; he had no doubt he would use them as such if Naru chose to give the order. They would probably understand and pass his test easily; the other two, not so much. He sighed again as he realized just how much work he had cut out for him. Still it was much less than it could have been.

"Well then, if everyone is comfy. Let's get started! Introduce yourselves to your new team-mates; name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams. You first, Pinky," Kakashi said cheerfully. Sakura turned out to be just as much a fan girl as previously thought; surprise, surprise. _"I wonder if that's a curable disease she has,'_ Kakashi thought idly as Sakura continuously sighed dreamily throughout her introduction. He had to suppress a laugh when Naru had rolled her eyes as Sakura stated her dislike of the 'new girl'. Sasuke was, as Kakashi had expected, a revenge centered 'avenger'. And lastly,_ 'but definitely not least!'_, was Naru and Yuu; who both had the most out there dreams since Obito.

Sakura and Sasuke may have scoffed at their team-mate's dream to be Hokage, protect the village on their own and gain everyone's respect, but what they didn't realize was that Naru basically already protected the village single-handedly and had many ANBU who respected the girl's ability to prank, disappear and never get caught. They still couldn't figure out how she'd managed to glue googly-eyes onto all the active duty ANBUs' masks, and dye the black of their uniforms, _'which was about ninety percent of them…'_, a neon orange with hot pink swirls; _'all done while they were wearing them!' _She was truly Konoha's 'Number One Most Unpredictable Ticking Time Bomb'.

And so with their introductions over, Kakashi gave a brief explanation of his test, the sixty-six percent fail rate, meeting time, gave strict instructions not to eat and quickly poofed away before they could realize that he hadn't really given them any info on himself; although they did know his name courtesy of Iruka's team roster. As he was poofing into his room to read his Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi had a sinking feeling that not only was Naru going to disobey the rules he'd set but, more likely than not, obliterate anything he had planned for the gakis. _'Shoulda thought this one through more,'_ Kakashi thought with a sweat drop as he began relaxing a bit to enjoy his smut. Well tomorrow was a new day and he figured he'd decide then whether or not it was worth it to be three hours late.

Naru was a Prank Master, after all; even if she did try to pass it off as stealth training.

* * *

Well that's it for this one. It's about one-thirty in the morning and I needs ta get myself some 'beauty sleep'. If you catch any mistakes please let me know.

**Vocab Corner!**

senbon- ninja needle weapons, often used in accupuncture

kitsunegado- literally, fox guard

-kun- endearment term usually for boys younger than you, or liked by an age-mate

joo- queen

gaki- brat or spoiled child

-baka- idiot

bento- literally, lunch box

onigiri- rice balls

shogi- japanese chess

mahjong- essentially the equivalent of solitaire

batorusutansu- battle stances

Itazura Megami- prank goddess

kunai- ninja daggers

makibishi spikes- caltrops

shunshin- flash step or instant teleportation (kakashi's poof abilities)

-nii- brother

yare, yare- my, my (a verbal sigh)

-chan- endearment term for anyone younger, usually female

imouto- little sister

ANBU- for any who didn't know, or forgot, a section of elite ninja that work directly under the Hokage

Icha Icha Paradise- for any interested means either kiss kiss paradise or love love paradise

**Polls!**

Gaara- 8 votes

Haku- 8 votes

Neji- 5 votes

Shino- 5 votes

Kiba- 3 votes

Rock Lee- 2 votes

and the new addition of male!Nabi- 0 votes

Ja ne, minna-san!


	4. Of Testing and Bond's Beginning

**Thanks to everyone who stuck with the story for my update. I really don't mean to make you guys wait so long. Any-who, please enjoy and as always review or PM me of any mistakes you see! Enough of me being a bore!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, except for Yuu's fox & ningen forms! How happy I'd be if I did.**

_Emphasis_

**Jutsu**

"Regular speech"

**"Yuu's speech"**

_'Regular thoughts'_

**_'Yuu's thoughts'_**

Naru's mental link

**Yuu's mental link**

* * *

Chapter Three

The next morning, Narumiko had done her early morning training with Yuu, taken a shower, prepared herself for the day, ate a filling breakfast of ramen and onigiri, and set up her 'Prank Case'; just for Kakashi, she truly wished to break him of his tardy streak. Pausing once more in the kitchen, before heading out of the tower to meet with her team, she made a quick choice to grab a few apples and tuck them into her black and gold messenger bag alongside her Prank Case. As she was nearly out of the tower, she heard Yuu's flats pattering towards her quickly.

"Yuu? It's not like you to be running late, I thought you'd be outside waiting for me."

A quick shake of his head caused his simple, loose braid to sway behind him with a soft chiming noise that caused her to notice the gold and silver baubles lacing through it. He raised his arm with a wicked smile, **"This one decided to think ahead today. A camera for your troubles, Mistress?"** Noticing the small camera in his hand made her smile with wicked glee.

"Oh, yes. Today shall be a good day, Yuu. Come along."

Yuu quickly slipped the camera into her bag before his body passed the wards, the last thing Narumiko heard before his soft paws hit the outside porch was the tinkling of his twin silver weights and the chiming of his baubles. Yuu yipped softly for her attention, "What is it, Yuu?"

**Mistress, we still have to retrieve our headbands from your Hokage. Shall we do that before or after the meeting?**

Narumiko paused for a moment as she transferred her demon chakra to her stomach seal for Yuu's transformation. She responded as she positioned herself on his back, "We'll go after, wouldn't want to make our team-mates upset because we were late." Yuu chuffed in understanding as he took off for the main gate of the forest.

* * *

Narumiko padded into training ground 7 on silent, slippered feet; Yuu kept a vigilant look out from his perch on her left shoulder, within the hood of her cloak with his tail wrapped lovingly around her neck for added balance. A soft flick of his tail to her right ear made her pause and send out an Aura Pulse, a demonic trick learned from Yuu, to scan her surroundings without others noticing.

**Mistress, do you...?**

Yes, Yuu, it seems Nii-san isn't late; merely lazy. She passed the pause off as a quick visual scan for her team-mates, just in case Kakashi had noticed her stop. Walking towards the two members of her team, she heard the 'Banshee' pestering the Emo for a date to which he repeatedly told her 'no'. We're really gunna have to break them of their attitudes. And Haruno's screeching! Is that curable?

The soft laughter of Yuu inside her mind was her only answer. With a sigh she decided to get the pleasantries out of the way, "Good morning, Haruno-chan, Uchiha-kun. Have you eaten yet this morning?"

**Mistress! Using such honorifics are for friends, why do you give them that honor?**

Because, Yuu, we are to be a team. Teams should become family, to become a family I wish to become friends. Please understand, Yuu, I'm trying to please Jiji-sama as well as expand our circle of trust so that we may eventually have a larger skulk. Will you be happy this way?

**Of course, This one was merely surprised. Now that this one knows your reason, this one is very happy, Mistress.** Narumiko could feel a comforting warmth in her belly; hearing Yuu's deep purr within her mind and feeling the gentle nuzzle to her left cheek made her realize that he was smiling in happiness for her. She looked up, hearing Sakura's huffy explanation of the sensei's rules followed by Sasuke's condescending snort. Narumiko merely smiled as she knelt beside the two; lowering her hood at the same time that Yuu jumped down to relax in her knees.

"Well, if you don't eat, how are we supposed to have enough strength to beat sensei? Here, I have fruit," she pulled the apples out of her messenger bag and, ignoring Sakura's complaints about disobedience and insubordination, gave them each two of the bright red, juicy fruits. Once they began munching on the crisp fruit, she lowered her voice to ensure that Kakashi wouldn't hear her, "I know what sensei will try to do. As lazy as he is, Nii-san is still a very team oriented person. So, more likely than not, this'll be a test of our companionship and teamwork. Will you guys trust me?"

Sasuke a Sakura looked at her and seemed to think about what she was saying. Surprisingly Sasuke was the first to speak, "Alright-"

"Shh!"

Sasuke looked at Narumiko, a peeved look crossing his face at the interruption. Narumiko sighed and apologized before informing them quietly, "He's already here and I wanna keep our plans secret." A look of surprise flashed before being quickly replaced by his mask of indifference, a small nod from both of them ensured their understanding.

Sasuke started again, whispering this time, "Alright, we'll trust you, so don't lead us wrong. Do you have a plan?" He received a curt nod and a foxy smirk before Sakura joined he conversation just as quietly, "We can't let sensei know we're working together, right," twin nods and a tail twitch, "Then we should make this whisper-fest look like a disagreement as you explain what to do." And with that she let out a sharp screech. "STOP TRYING TO STEAL MY SASUKE-KUN!" Followed quickly by a wink to her team-mates and soft snickers in response.

Narumiko was quick to play along.

With a hasty apology to Sasuke, she retaliated in a snarky voice, "Oh, really? Who in their right mind would want an emo with a duck's _ass_ nesting on his head. I mean seriously!" She followed it up with a huff, folded her arms across her chest a turned her head towards the tree with a slight pout; trying to look annoyed and slightly offended.

With her face mostly hidden from Kakashi's line of sight, she whispered, "I'll need a distraction. Keep him busy for at least 15 minutes. What can you do?" Sakura covered the pause, while they thought, with a nearly feral growl, "HOW DARE YOU OFFEND SASUKE-KUN LIKE THAT, YOU- You- you... Ah! YOU TRAMP!" A soft, "Sorry," followed. Yuu got into the argument as well by puffing himself up, bristling his fur and giving a sharp yip-growl as though he was personally offended; Sakura squeaked and fell back a bit in mock surprise at his sudden defensive act.

Sasuke was first to find and answer, he gave his answer in the cover form of furthering the argument, "Sakura, be quiet. I can defend myself; after all, I _am _better than you both." And Sakura quickly got her answer across while also hiding it in plain sight, so to speak, "But, Sasuke-kun, I'm your _biggest_ fan, of course I can help you!"

Kakashi made himself known by popping up just in time to stop the 'cat-fight' that was about to start between the two females. He gave a quick lecture on why you shouldn't try to kill your team-mate before he started explaining the test to his potential students.

Hook, line and sinker. What do you think, Yuu, not a bad start? A quick glance to her lap and a flick of his soft, bushy tail.

**Not bad at all, Mistress. They are quick thinkers and good cover-ups. We should be fine; and if they show any more of that sly cunning they just used, we may just _have_ to add them to our skulk.**

Narumiko mentally giggled and thought to herself, _'Perhaps they won't be so bad after all. Still gotta get rid of those attitudes, though. Maybe a pack mentality would be best until we can all work as one fluid unit. Kaka-nii and I would be the Alpha, and right now Uchiha would be Beta and Haruno our Omega. She wouldn't like that place so she'd probably try harder to improve it. That'd hopefully work...'_

With that sorted out, she tuned into the conversation in time to hear Sakura whine about there only being two bells a yet three people. Perfect. Kakashi was helping their plan wonderfully, blissfully unaware of his, soon to be, utter humiliation. It was a good day to be the Prank Goddess of Konoha; and a horrible day to be her victim. Queue evil laugh as Kakashi began the timer and all three students disappeared; one completely vanishing from his senses.

That got his fight-or-flight response to go haywire as his 'danger sensor' went crazy. _'Ok, Kakashi, just relax and stay calm. Focus on the other two gaki first.'_ And so he did, not realizing that he just allowed his biggest threat to run rampant as she set up his 'trap of doom'. Narumiko paused a moment in pulling out her prank supplies, _'I really hafta come up with cooler names for these things.'_ Sighing she snuck swiftly through the shadows and foliage to create Kakashi's first stage of humiliation.

Yuu ran ahead of her clearing each necessary space for his Mistress' pranks. From her Prank Case came several items of questionable usage that she planned to use to the max. The first step was to take away his senses through use of her Oni mahō, essentially sending him into a genjutsu that blocks the nerves from sending signals to the brain; disorienting him enough to be pushed into step two, the beginning of the end. Step two makes use of ninja wires to trap him as he backs into step three, trying to regain his senses. Step three is a decent sized pouch of the same sticky glitter that Sasuke got tagged with, the day before, intermixed with multi-colored feathers that had a similar sticky substance that smelled like baby powder attached to a minor exploding tag to ensure maximum body coverage. By that time, Narumiko estimated he would have gained some of his senses back, step four would have to instill panic so that he could be easily manipulated into steps five through eight; that was where Yuu would step in. By allowing Yuu access to a minute amount of his demon chakra, he can also use some interesting Oni mahō.

Yuu was to give Kakashi a peak into the mind of his Hon'nō side. The part of him that was pure animalistic needs, the side man never should know of. Any demon of high power has two sides, two halves of a whole to complete the balance required of having so much power; Hon'nō and Riyū. Hon'nō helps the demon to live, to know its necessities such as food, shelter, mate; it is the base mindset of all animals. Riyū helps the demon to think its actions through and understand complex things. Both are needed to ensure the demon knows and understands itself and those around it; they must both balance while neither dominates for extensive periods of time. Should Hon'nō remain dominant the demon shall revert to its base animal and lose its reason. Adversely, Riyū would cause the disappearance of instinct, leaving the demon vulnerable without the thoughts of basic survival.

Once Yuu had Kakashi panicking, step five was to immobilize him for the final touches by tying him to a strategically placed stump; that would be Sasuke and Sakura's job. Step six is to rapid fire multiple packets of different colored neon paint, courtesy of her sling shot, to give him a polka-dotted look right before step seven flipped the stump upside down to dangle from a tree as Yuu snags the bells from his hip. Step eight was what will cement his humiliation for eternity, all the previous steps were taken to make him 'Picture Perfect'.

When the traps were set, and a personalized sign was created, Narumiko set the camera up for an auto trigger and got into position for step one while Yuu placed himself in preparation for step four. She sent out two shadow clones to inform the others of their jobs, although the clone sent to Sasuke had to bribe him with extra training to get him to join in step eight. And so Sasuke went out as the lure to drag Kakashi to his doom.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei, you're quick in attacks but you're slow when trying to catch your opponent. Or, perhaps, the Uchiha name makes you nervous? Come on, show me your worth my time as a sensei," Sasuke delivered his lines with a flawless holier-than-you tone as he took of towards the set stage. Sasuke ran into the clearing with Kakashi hot on his trail and dove into a bush to the left of the small, open area with a shout of, "TAG!"

Kakashi paused for a brief moment wondering when he had joined a child's game instead of a ninja test. That moment was all Narumiko needed to begin the humiliation process. She slid from the shadows behind Kakashi, causing him to whirl around with a kunai drawn. "Narumiko! I was wondering where you disappeared to. Is there any way that you're willing to tell me what's going on here," kakashi asked with a nervous chuckle as he spotted the predatorily feral grin on her face. A shake of her head and a short "no" were his only warning before blackish-red energy swirled around her outstretched hands as her fingers wove through an intricate dance that seemed to hypnotize Kakashi.

Slowing her dancing fingers until they stopped, and stayed, in a pattern that resembled a flower, She spoke with a voice that held many voices; **Akuma no mahō: Sensu hakudatsu**. And with that Kakashi couldn't sense anything at all. Suddenly he was tumbling backwards, the only reason he knew that was the slightly muted sense of vertigo he got; suddenly his sight came back, albeit a bit blurry at the edges. He saw a sudden burst of sparkles surround him as his hearing slowly came back with a slight ringing in the background.

Then the fox kit jumped into his line of sight, his gold-flecked, emerald eyes tinged red as the same blackish-red energy swirled around the minuscule body. A deep, nearly echoing voice bounced roughly through his mind; **Akuma no mahō: Hon'nō no keiji**. The sudden onslaught of animalistic and viscious images made him scream in terror; yet as soon as they were there, they were gone. The terror was still there but his screaming had stopped. The next thing Kakashi knew, he felt almost weightless with blood rushing to his head, a rope being hung gently on the underside of his chin while something bumped lightly against his forehead, a soft chorus of "cheese" accompanied by a yip, a bright flash of white light and then he was suddenly on his back looking up at three smug and cocky students and one pompous looking fox kit.

Kakashi sighed and spoke gruffly, "What the _Hell_ just happened?"

That earned him a soft giggle from Sakura, a rather animated "hn" from Sasuke, an excited yip-bark from Yuu and tinkling bell laughter from Narumiko as she explained, "You just got beaten and humiliated by your new Genin squad that passed your teamwork test. Say hello to your official new students, Kaka-nii-san!"

He sat up slowly and looked them all over before he eye-smiled and said, "I'm actually quite proud. I thought for sure, after watching you this morning, that no one would be willing to get along. And just so you know, you're the first squad that has ever passed my test. Congratulations, Squad Seven."

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at Narumiko, causing her to sigh and look a bit sheepish, "Actually, the fighting earlier was a ruse to cover-up the fact that we were plotting against you. It was all fake."

Kakashi suddenly got a blank look in his eye, "I was fooled because I didn't look underneath the underneath... I fail as a ninja!" Suddenly he was crying giant fake tears, causing everyone to relax. Yuu yipped for everyone's attention. **Mistress, this one believes them to be worthy of our skulk and deserving of our secret. Do with this information as you wish.**

"Everyone, Yuu and I have decided that you are trustworthy enough to let in on our secret. If you would like to become a part of our small family, please come with us to our home; but do not be afraid. We understand if you do not wish to join us, just know that it means a lot to us both."

Sasuke and Sakura looked a bit nervous before looking to Kakashi who looked surprised. Then they looked at Narumiko and noticed how nervous and twitchy she was, Yuu looked to be comforting her as he nuzzled her neck and cheek lovingly. Sakura spoke first, "What if I'm not ready to know your secret? How can you trust me to not give it away? I mean, I was rude to you for no reason and I doubted you. Why do you trust me so much?"

Narumiko took a deep, calming breath before she spoke, "That's actually part of the reason _why_ I want to share this with you. If you think you aren't ready, you'll try harder to keep it safe. By giving you my secrets, I'm allowing you to protect my life and, in doing so, strengthening my trust in you. You were rude because you thought I didn't deserve my place on this team, by working together I'm trying to prove myself to you; and your doubt was understandable. I don't entirely trust you yet, but by doing this I hope to be _able_ to trust you entirely. Does that make any sense?" Narumiko had ducked her head to hide behind her bangs during her speech, now she peeked shyly from behind them.

Sasuke nodded. He looked at each of his new team-mates, "Alright, I'll try my best to keep your life protected by safely keeping your secrets." Sakura hesitated but when she made up her mind, she gave a firm nod and had a determined look on her face. Kakashi eye-smiled at everyone, "I already know her secrets and am a part of her family; and I wouldn't have it any other way, Imōto."

Narumiko giggled lightly and Yuu gave the equivalent of a fox purr. "Ok, then," she stated, standing tall like she owned the world, "in that case, we need to go to my home to make sure no one can overhear my secrets; that, and Kakashi needs a shower... You may want to henge until we get into the forest." It was then that Kakashi looked down and noticed what they'd done to him.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

* * *

Squad 7 came to a stop outside of the main entrance to the Forest of Death. You could practically feel the waves of tension and fear rolling off of Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke kept quiet to preserve his image but, in the silence of the group, Yuu caught the beat of his heart speeding up and Narumiko could hear the hitch in Sakura's breathing. "It's alright, you guys, I won't let anything happen to you; however," Narumiko said quietly, "please don't be frightened of Yuu. I'm giving you a heads up because we will travel faster on Yuu's back."

Everyone paused to look at Yuu, who stuck his nose up and flicked his tail haughtily. Narumiko took them in through the small side door next to the massive main gate. They followed silently until they came to a stop in a decent sized grove, completely hidden from outsiders by the thick forest foliage. Narumiko asked everyone to stay to the edge of the grove's clearing as Yuu padded into the center. Sasuke and Sakura watched her with interest as she took a pose to concentrate her chakra. Then they quickly turned to watch Yuu, only to have to divert their eyes as the bright red light of his transformation became to much.

When the light was gone and they could see again, Yuu's seven inch kit form had been replaced by a ten foot tall beast that looked like he could eat them in just two snaps of his powerful jaws. They also noticed that his gold-flecked emerald orbs took on a decidedly sinister red tinge. The large fox chuffed and lowered his bulky form onto the grass; he was still nearly six feet tall unless he lowered his head.

Narumiko walked over to him and scratched behind his ears, both of which were about the size of her head, "Well, come on then. Let's go, we've got more surprises for you." With that said she climbed gracefully onto Yuu back and settled lightly at the base of his neck and shoulders. Sakura followed her up with a little help from Kakashi and Yuu's tail, Sasuke scrambled slightly into place behind Sakura just as Kakashi hopped into place near Yuu's lower back.

"You should bury your hands into his fur and squeeze your knees to hold on," Narumiko instructed as she looked back with a sly smirk, "And lean over him because we'll be going very fast." Once she was sure they were in proper positions and weren't in danger of falling off, yet, she gave Yuu the signal and he started at a slow canter and progressed his speed over the giant tree roots until it felt nearly as if they were flying.

Once Yuu had come to a complete halt beside the porch, he lowered himself easily so everyone could slide off without getting hurt. They gathered beside Narumiko as Yuu reverted to his kit size again, yet Sasuke and Sakura were confused when Yuu sat beside the first step and looked dejected with his ears flattened and his tail curled almost protectively around his small body. Sasuke was the first to ask why.

"Well," Narumiko began nervously, which instantly had their attention, "Yuu has one more transformation; but this one's a bit odder than the norm. please don't freak out, Kakashi-nii has already seen and been acquainted with this particular form for many years now." With a glance to Kakashi, and receiving a thumbs-up and an eye-smile, she nodded once to Yuu. Yuu seemed to take a calming breath as he stepped lightly onto the first step, They all noticed a small, ornate symbol light up beneath his paw before he was engulfed in a dazzling golden glow.

Sakura gasped as Sasuke stood wide-eyed as an exotic male stepped carefully into the shade of the porch. Yuu huffed lightly at the attention and proceeded to smooth any fly-away hairs back into his loose braid, gently weaving his fingers around the many baubles threaded within. "What happened to Yuu," Sakura squeaked with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. Yuu looked affronted at her indignant tone and leaned closer to her with a sultry smile, **"Why nothing has happened to this one, tis how this one often looks. Do you not approve, Haruno-chan?"** Her blush darkened as he practically purred the suffix on her last name.

"Yuu... Enough with your teasing. Please apologize for making her embarrassed."

Yuu flinched slightly yet conceded graciously, **"This one asks forgiveness for such uncouth actions."** He bowed slightly in courtesy, his twin silver weights clinking together softly. Sakura stuttered out her acceptance as the group moved forward into the tower's first floor. "Now then," Narumiko sighed softly, "The lower areas of the tower are accessible to most anyone who enters. My home and quarters are upstairs, the proper entrance to my living space is actually on the third floor disguised by unique seals that Yuu and I have created for our comfort and safety."

As they walked they felt Yuu's reiki pulse and turned to look at him. Gone was his light green yukata and tan hakama and flats. Yuu now stood, quite comfortably, in a black silk yukata stiched with silver, and soft grey hakama that slightly covered his silver and green flats. He was just adjusting the grey haori, so that the dark green emblems were sitting straight, and pinning up his braid in a siver ivy clip, causing the baubles to chime against one another as vibrant red tendris of his hair came down to frame his face and shoulders. He looked up and noticed Sasuke and Sakura staring at him as he slid his bangs over to the left side of his aristocratic face. **"What,"** he huffed lightly, **"I like to look nice and feel comfortable in my own home."**

He sniffed softly and sauntered past in a girl-ish way as he led them past the common floors and stopped them in front of a blank wall. Narumiko giggled as Yuu stood femininely with one leg slightly in front of the other, "You're doing it again, Yuu." Yuu gave her a mock hurt look as she revealed the door and opened it to allow the others to enter.

**"Nonsense,"** he huffed as he slid his slippers off and set them on the rack beside the front closet, **"This one is not 'girly' as you so kindly put it, Mistress."** He turned and started explaining the layout of the tower.

Yuu cleared his throat for his long-winded speech, **"Listen up, this one will explain this only once! This tower has ten floors plus a basement and rooftop access. Outsiders are aloud within the basement and first three floors; which consist of: medic facilities and an armory below ground, the main fight arena and many smaller sparring areas on the ground floor, training areas and emergency medic rooms on the second, and the third has visitor quarters and bathrooms, to non- invited guests. As you 'invited guests' know, there is also the hidden entrance which leads to the main entry, a bathroom, coat closets, the foyer and the stairs. From here on up there is a grand total of six people that know of this place, with you two included."** He indicated to Sasuke and Sakura at the end, **"Five of those people are standing here, now; the Hokage is the sixth."**

He took a breath and continued telling them of the layout as they all went up the stairs.

**"The fourth floor has the living room, dining room, kitchen with many fully stocked pantries and the wrap-around balcony. The next floor up has a medic room, armory and a large training facility; the sixth floor holds the library, tea room, security room and quite a few nice balconies. The seventh is our guest floor with the individual rooms, laundry area and a central rec room that is accessible through a back door in a guest rooms. Narumiko's main bedroom and study occupy the eighth and the ninth is the vast garden sanctuary; within the garden there are meditation, tea and rest areas with artificial springs, to hep with relaxation, as well as another wrap-around balcony. The last floor has the observatory and the roof is often used for meditation and scouting. There are bathrooms located in the basement and on the third, fifth, seventh, eighth, and tenth floors. You are allowed access to all but the study, security and Narumiko's rooms; which, by extent means any balconies that are attached to those rooms. Are there any questions for this one?"**

Sasuke and Sakura stood there blinking as they processed everything Yuu had just said. Sakura timidly asked, "Umm, are we supposed to remember all that?" Yuu chuckled and shook his head, **"Not entirely. However, it is advisable to remember the off-limits areas, and the locations of at least two bathrooms and your rooms."**

Sasuke looked up, "Our rooms?"

Narumiko chose to answer that one as everyone settled onto either a chair or the couch, the cushion pile by the wall for Yuu, "Yes, as honored guests you will have your own rooms to claim whenever you come to stay for extended periods of time. You'll also be tuned into the seals in and around the tower; as we said, you'l have near complete access."

"When she says seals, she means like the one revealing the main door and the seals that are placed around for security; they tel the tower and its occupants if you're friendly or an infiltrator," Kakashi added as he pulled out his Icha Icha book.

**"Yes,"** Yuu said when they cast him questioning glances, **"But we will do that before you leave, that will be the only time you shall enter the security room. For now, though, how about you head up to the seventh floor to choose your rooms? The only rooms unavailable are the two with nameplates; you should also note that once we put your nameplate on both doors to your room, none may enter with out your permission. Go ahead and pick now."**

Narumiko stood and offered to lead the way while the two elder males stayed and relaxed. After three fights of stairs they came to a hallway that wrapped along the outer wall of the tower with windows interspersed evenly along the hall. "Go ahead and take a peek into as many rooms as you need to, they're all themed either by color or subject. For example Hokage-jiji has one that's themed for the forests of the fire country and Kakashi-nii has one for storms because he likes lightning, which kinda makes sense given his affinity."

Sakura looked hesitant, "So we just pick any room at all?" She followed Sasuke's lead once Narumiko had nodded assent, and began peeking into each room; They looked through the rooms moving counter-clockwise around the tower.

Sasuke was the first to choose his room, settling for a black and white sophisticated theme. With a king-sized bed frame made of Ash wood, covered with a black comforter and white and grey pillows, a set of bedside tables made of chrome topped with clear glass, a wardrobe of Ash wood with a dark stain, to appear nearly black, and a matching bookcase that covered nearly an entire wall; it only stopped to allow access to the en suite bathroom. Narumiko came over to him, painted a back seal onto both of the doors to his room and had him apply chakra to them so that they could serve as a temporary lock until the door plates could be created and engraved with the permanent seal.

Then she did the same to Sakura's doors further down the hall. She had chosen a room based on baby pink and deep violet. With a four-poster queen bed, made with mahogany oak, that had curtains made of a light gauzy pink under layer covered with violet satin that enclosed the entire bed, the covers an alternating pinstripe pattern of purple and pink and fluffy pillows of both colors, a single mahogany nightstand with a drawer that had an antiqued brass handle to the left of her bed, and a matching vanity and stool with violet satin topped stool to the right, a hand-carved wardrobe of the same style stood to one side of the bathroom door, while a smaller bookcase than Sasuke's stood to the other side.

Once she was finished she invited them to see how the central rec room suited them. "You guys made good choices with those rooms,"she said from her place beside the large, round coffee table in the middle of the room. Sakura looked over at her from beside the mahjongg table, "So, umm, I know you want us to become close as a team and all but why do so much for us when we still barely know each other?" Sasuke looked over his shoulder from one of the many scroll shelves lining the walls, also interested in knowing.

Narumiko sighed and gained a distant look in her eyes, "You know how, earlier, Yuu said that now there are six people that know of the towers secret? Well, aside from the Hokage, Kakashi-nii and Yuu, you two are the only real human contact I've had in six, nearly seven, years. When I was little the villagers didn't really like me; I mean, most were indifferent and just didn't care about me, but there was always a few who wanted to hurt me. When I was about five, that's how old Hokage-jiji said I was at the time, I was beaten really badly by a couple of villagers and I had to be hospitalized for a few days; that was when I met Yuu. After that incident, I became a recluse and hid whenever I had to be around people."

She paused and sighed again, "We should finish this conversation with the others." So they left through Sasuke's room, since it was closer to the stairs, and went back to the living room to find Kakashi napping on the big couch, with his damp hair flopping even farther to the left of his head than usual, and Yuu balanced precariously on the counter top's edge, trying to reach something on top of the high fridge. Narumiko blinked when she saw Yuu, "No fudge."

Yuu made a rather girly squeak of surprise and lost his footing, his feet sliding just enough to the side that his butt landed in the sink which was, thankfully, empty and clean. **"Narumiko! Why would you do that? I only wanted a snack,"** he whined, childishly.

"No."

A pouty lip on a puppy face, **"Please?"**

"No."

Teary eyes added to the face, **"Just a few?"**

"No."

A wobbly lip, **"I promise to eat all my dinner..."**

"No."

A sniffle, **"Pwetty pwease, Naru-chan?"**

"No."

A flash of light and a three foot tall, child Yuu sat on the counter with his best pouty-puppy face and whimpered sadly, **"Onegaishimasu, kichōna aijin?"**

A sigh, "Fine, just a few."

Ignoring his happy squealing, Narumiko walked over to Kakashi and poked him until he got up and made room on the couch for her as Sasuke and Sakura took the two reclining rocking chairs and got comfortable. Yuu, hurry up and get your fudge. It's time to divulge some secrets to our new family members.

Yuu rushed over on silent feet and lowered himself gracefully onto his many pillows and cushions. **As you so wish it, Joō, it shall be done.** Yuu caught her eye and gave her a soft, reassuring smile. Once they had all settled into comfortable positions, Kakashi had even put away his Icha Icha, Narumiko looked them in the eye; Sasuke and Sakura both felt the serious tension in the air and gulped in sudden nervousness.

Yuu nibbled his fudge quietly, Kakashi had on his 'game face' and Narumiko looked sulle. Narumiko took a deep breathand thought dejectedly, _'This is going to be a long story time... I hope they'll still accept me. If they do, then this whole ordeal will make us a stronger unit.'_ Narumiko broke the tension with a beginning that neither of the gennin saw coming.

"Everything you know about the Kyuubi... Is a lie."

* * *

**Oooh, a sort of cliffy. I'm not going to go through the whole story of what they need to know but in the next chapter consider them informed. Sorry this chapter took so long I've been busy and the internet connection's been sucky. If you catch any mistakes please let me know.**

**AS A SIDE NOTE! SHOULD YUU HAVE A ROMANTIC INTEREST/RELATIONSHIP? IT CAN BE ONE-SIDED, MUTUAL, TRIANGLE, WHATEVER; IT CAN BE SAME GENDER OR NOT. I WOULD APPRECIATE FEEDBACK, I MAY SET UP A POLL FOR THIS QUESTION.**

**Vocab Corner!**

Nii- short for Onii, brother, usually for boys the same age or older; it's also the informal version

-san- honorific that shows slight respect, often used as mr., mrs. or miss

-chan- endearing honorific usually used on girls and younger children

-kun- endearing honorific usually used on young boys

sensei- teacher

skulk- a small group/pack of foxes, often a family unit of some kind

gaki- roughly means brat, literally means spoiled child

Oni mahō- demon magic

Hon'nō- instinct

Riyū- reason

Akuma no mahō: Sensu hakudatsu- demon magic: sense deprivation

Akuma no mahō: Hon'nō no keiji- demon magic: instinct revelation

Genin- beginner ninja

Imōto- little sister

reiki- aura or energy

yukata- like a robe, unisex clothing; most often worn at festivals, usually by men since kimono are more of a formal wear for women

hakama- loose-fitting pants often worn in dojos; like _Bleach_ shinigami

haori- like a cloak with sleeves; like the white tops the _Bleach_ captains wear

Onegaishimasu, kichōna aijin- Please, preacious mistress

Joō- Queen

**Polls! If you disagree, send me P.M.'s or review (I'm not shamelessly asking for reviews and feedback, not at all *hint, hint*)**

Gaara- 15

Haku- 13

Shino- 11

Neji- 9

Kiba- 4

Rock Lee- 3

male!Nibi- 1


End file.
